Comics were the theme as we held our first in a new series of small events for 2021.

An eager group joined us for an entertaining ...and informative... history of the evolution of the comic book from children's entertainment to serious adult literature. Armed with a bagful of books, Stewart Brower demonstrated contemporary uses in non-fiction and serious fiction of the old fashioned comic format.

Until Covid passes, we are only hosting
small group activities like this one.

Throughout the Center's history we have enjoyed organizing small group events where guests have an opportunity to visit on a personal basis with dignataries, and Covid has now returned us to programming that is exclusively done in small groups.

The Center Sponsors a Private Briefing at INCOG

Twenty people gathered to learn more about the urban planning process in Tulsa in a special briefing organized by the Center. The briefing was led by Rich Briere, Executive Director of the Tulsa Camber of Commerce, and Susan Miller, Director of the Tulsa Planning Office.

Former Gov. George Nigh Took Us on a Tour of Modern Oklahoma History

OU-Tulsa's President John Schumann welcomed a capacity crowd in Founders Hall when former Gov. George Nigh came to tells us stories from his life in Oklahoma history. Nigh is our state's longest serving governor and was the first governor in Oklahoma history to be re-elected.

Lunch with Dr. Leigh Goodson, President of Tulsa Community College

Fifteen guests of the Center lunched with Tulsa Community College's President, Dr. Leigh Goodson, at TCC's Creativity Center. The luncheon was a follow-up activity to the large education luncheon on the OU-Tulsa campus. All who attended the big event were welcomed to sign-up for one of the smaller follow-up activities, such as the luncheon on Sept. 27 with OU-Tulsa's President John Schumann.

The Center Organized Oklahoma Visit for UK Consul General Hyde

Center Dir. Rodger Randle serves as the British Honorary Consul in Oklahoma, and was in charge of organizing the Consul General's Oklahoma visit. Following his speech in Tulsa, Consul Gen. Hyde travel to Oklahoma City to meet with state leaders, as well as later visits to the Norman campus of the University of Oklahoma and to meetings in Tulsa, including a meeting with Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum.

UK Consul General Richard Hyde
speaks at OU-Tulsa

On his first visit to Tulsa since assuming his new post in Houston, Richard Hyde spoke to an audience of 200 in Founders Hall on the campus of OU-Tulsa.

The Center Hosts Students from Valledupar, Colombia

Twenty students from Colombia are participating in an exchange in Tulsa during September and October. Their visit here is part of an ongoing series of activities between the city of Valledupar and Tulsa that is being led by Tulsa Community College, but with Center participation.

Responding to Hate and Bias on Campus

The Director of the Center was invited by TCC to be a presenter on one of its programs on the college's Northeast Campus organized to discuss intercultural engagement and outreach, as well as identify strategies for building better community understanding among diverse populations. This is an example of the Center's ongoing connections to the Tulsa area community.

Center Director Lectures in Mexico

At the invitation of the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, Prof. Randle traveled to Mexico to present analysis of domestic politics in the USA and its impact on Mexican-American relations. The visit was organized by Prof. Zidane Zeraoui of Tec's Department of International Relations. Dr. Zeraoui had been the Center's guest in Tulsa earlier this year.

OU-Tulsa President Hosts Lunch

Another in the Center's series of follow-up programs on education, guests were invited to spend a noon hour with OU-Tulsa Pres. John Schumann to learn about the work being done on the OU-Tulsa campus. He explained the differences between medical programs based in the OU medical center campus in Oklahoma City and the programs based on the Norman campus.

Harvard Scholar Reports on Asia

In partnership with Dean Randy Kluver of OSU, we welcomed to Tulsa Dr. Ted Gillman, Director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Dr. Gillman made himself available to spend time with a group of community leaders. His specialty is Asia, and he provided an up-to-the-minute analysis of recent developments in China and other areas of the region.

Understanding the Modern American High School

As a follow-up event to the large program we sponsored on education in Oklahoma, a smaller group took advantage of an opportunity to visit Will Rogers High School in Tulsa to visit with Principal Nikki Dennis and classroom teachers and to learn about what life is like in secondary education in America today.

Learning about Charter Schools

Following the large program about education held on August 7, we organized several smaller events to give people an opportunity to learn more about specific areas of education. One of these was an event held at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences. The school principal, Ellen McCoy, welcomed us. An expert panel offered insights into the functioning of charter schools and how they relate to traditional public schools, and questions were also offered from the audience.

The Center Hosts Dialog Institute Annual Dinner

The Center frequently partners with other organizations. An example of partnering was the annual Friendship Dinner of the Dialogo Institute of the Southwest. The dinner was hosted by the Center and the Center Director served as Chair of the dinner and keynote speaker. Honorees this year were the Tulsa City-County Library System, the Gathering Place, and Reading Partners.

Mick Cornett: The Next American City

A large crowd attended a speech by four term Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. He spoke about his book "The Next American City", and about how he became active in government at the local level. His talk covered anecdotes of his life in politics, but primarily focused on the kinds of qualities that successful cities of the future must have. He used Oklahoma City as an example of how dramatic revivals of urban settings can be brought about.

Exploring Africa Series:
The Center Hosts Faculty from Mozambique

Two faculty from the Universidade Pedagógica in Maxixe, Moazambique, spent 15 days in Oklahoma as guests of the Center. This was their first visit to the United States, and it was an opportunity to learn more about our culture and our people. Their time was primarily spent on the Tulsa campus, but we traveled to Norman on September 11 to tour the OU campus and had lunch with a few of the faculty from the Department of Human Relations.

The State of Education in Oklahoma

The OU-Tulsa campus was the scene of a major discussion of education in Oklahoma. The event organized and sponsored by the Center featured the Oklahoma Secretary of education, the head of the Oklahoma School Boards Association, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Superintendent of the Tulsa Public Schools. Moderator for the program was former Tulsa Superintendent Keith Ballard. The program participants shared observation about education and the progress that is being made in Oklahoma, as well as identifying many of the challenges that we face as a state.

Exploring Africa Series:
World Bank Economist Visits the Center

Dr. Moussa Blimpo, senior economist in the Africa section of the World Bank, was the guest of the Center in July. He was joined on the visit by his wife and two children. During his time in Tulsa he participated in multiple events explaining current developments in Africa and analyzing the continent's prospects for future development. Originally from the country of Togo, Dr. Blimpo and his family now live in Washington, D.C., the headquarter city of the World Bank.

From Will Rogers to Donald Duck: Oklahoma in Popular Culture

Dr. Bob Blackburn, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, spoke about surprising ways in which Oklahoma, and Oklahoma people, have been featured in American popular culture. We are most aware, Dr. Blackburn explained, the influence of Will Rogers and promoting an ideal of American character, but he also told about the role Oklahoma played in the early days of moving pictures. To the audience's surprise, he even explained how the original voice of Donald Duck.